A Different Kind of Magic
by bananannabeth
Summary: Percy meets Annabeth on the Hogwarts Express and knows straight away that he wants to be her best friend. Being sorted into different houses certainly isn't going to stop him. / Covering the entire cast's time at Hogwarts, not necessarily in chronological order, read about how they constantly cause mischief and discover some magic of their own. A lot of Percabeth.
1. The Sorting

**The Sorting**

The hat barely hit her blonde princess curls before announcing, "Ravenclaw!"

Annabeth Chase hopped off the stool and ran over to the blue table, which welcomed her with a massive round of applause. Percy tried to catch her eye, but she was too busy shaking hands with her new housemates to see. He turned back to watch the rest of the sortings, trying to ignore how his stomach was twisting with nerves.

Blue was his favourite colour, and now that Annabeth had been sorted into Ravenclaw he wanted more than ever to be sorted there too. He knew it wouldn't happen, though - there was no way Percy was clever enough for that house. His mum said he was, but she had to say that; she was his mum. _He_ didn't think he was smart enough for Ravenclaw. Which left Gryffindor, Hufflepuff and Slytherin. Percy really didn't know which house he'd get sorted into, and the wait was killing him.

When his name was finally called, he walked slowly up to the stool, hoping no one else could see his legs shaking beneath his robes. He took a seat and just had time to see Annabeth staring at him, grey eyes wide and fingers crossed for luck, before the hat was put over his head and his vision went dark.

The inside of the hat was blank, so Percy closed his eyes.

The hat's voice sounded different when it was speaking to him alone, not yelling to the whole Great Hall. "Hmm, what an interesting one we have here… My, my."

Percy didn't know what to say - _Interesting? Was interesting bad?_ \- so he stayed silent and waited.

"Loyal, yes, very loyal," the hat murmured. "Loyal to a fault, actually. It's important to you that everyone has an even playing field, equal standing; Justice for all. You're not a fan of bullies, are you? Not at all. You stick up for underdogs, good, good. All of which would make you a good candidate for Hufflepuff…"

 _Hufflepuff wouldn't be bad at all_ , Percy thought. And he'd heard that their common room was near the kitchens, which would be handy.

"Yes, you value kindness and loyalty, indeed. Once you've made a friend you're friends for life, and your loyalty to them comes above all else. _But…_ "

Percy didn't like the sound of that _but._ The hat went silent.

"You're extremely brave, too. Recklessly brave."

Percy didn't think of himself as particularly brave, but he supposed this was the hat's job, so he didn't argue.

When it spoke again, the hat's voice seemed lower. "You're quite cunning, too. Not particularly personally ambitious, but I see you can be ruthless and manipulative, if it's called for."

 _Manipulative and ruthless?_ Was Percy really ruthless and manipulative? He wondered what the hat was seeing inside his head. He worried about what the hat was seeing inside his head.

"It's not necessarily a bad thing, my boy," the hat said. "These traits can make you a fierce friend, and they can get you far in life."

"Oh," Percy said, the first thing he'd spoken out loud since the hat was put on his head.

The hat made a thoughtful little noise and then fell silent for a long time. Percy already knew that he'd been up here for longer than everyone else. He was just starting to panic that he'd broken the hat when it finally spoke again.

"What would be best for you?" the hat asked.

Percy tried to focus. He was feeling almost sick with nerves now, and his mind kept drifting back to Annabeth sitting at the Ravenclaw table. The hat wasn't giving him Ravenclaw as an option, though. He ran through what he knew about the other houses, but just kept going in circles.

"You could be great in Slytherin," the hat said slowly, and Percy thought a decision had finally been made. "But then again, you could do wonderfully in Hufflepuff, too."

Percy scuffed his shoes against the leg of the stool. He'd been sitting up there far too long.

"Well," the hat said finally. "Better be -"

Percy sat perfectly still as the hat opened its brim wide to yell out to to the crowd. He opened his eyes.


	2. Ravenclaw Riddles

**Ravenclaw Riddles**

Percy's hands curled around her waist and his mouth pressed lightly against the pulse point at her neck.

"Percy, would you -" Annabeth lost the words as his hands moved slightly higher, brushing the bottom of her ribcage. Her voice came out breathy and light as she grasped his hands and tried to pull him away. "-I need to listen to the riddle or I won't be able to get in."

"Good," he said, mouth hot against her skin. "Stay out here with me."

She managed to pry his hands away enough to turn around and face him. His sea green eyes were shining and he was smirking. She lifted her chin and smirked right back at him. "Since when are you interested in breaking the rules?"

"Since you forgot to take down the hem of your skirt." His gaze darted down to the space between her socks and her skirt, where the smooth skin of her thighs was on show. When he looked back to her face he licked his lips.

Her face flushed. "I really have to study tonight…"

"You know you're going to pass the quiz tomorrow, we've spent every night this week studying."

" _I've_ spent every night this week studying, you've spent every night this week trying to distract me."

"That hasn't been on purpose. Distracting you is just a side effect…"

"Oh, like I'm supposed to be able to focus with your hand up my skirt?" It was meant to be scathing, but instead Annabeth found herself speaking in low, hushed tones, found herself leaning into her boyfriend, found her gaze drawn to his lips…

A voice by her ear made her turn her head at the last second, so Percy ended up kissing her cheek instead of her lips. He groaned and let his head fall forward onto her shoulder.

"Where do vanished objects go?" asked the eagle on the Ravenclaw common room door.

Annabeth opened her mouth to answer, but Percy beat her to it. "Into the Stoll brother's stash of contraband, judging by how much it's grown recently."

"Incorrect," the eagle said stoically.

"Percy!" She frowned at him before turning back to the door. "I'm sorry, can I have another one?"

Percy's smile was unapologetic. "Come on, let's just go -"

"Which came first, the Phoenix or the flame?" the eagle asked.

Again, Percy beat Annabeth to answering. "To get to the other side! Oh, no, sorry, wrong bird riddle. Damn."

The eagle remained impassive. "Incorrect."

"Urgh, Percy!" Annabeth hit him lightly on the chest. "You're really frustrating sometimes, you know that?"

He curled his fingers around her wrist and brought her hand to his lips, kissing the back of her palm. "I know. Please come with me though, just for an hour, and then I swear I'll let you come back here and study."

She frowned down at his tie, but her resolve was already melting. The memory of his lips against her neck was proving hard to resist. "One hour? You promise?"

His smirk was positively wicked. "I promise."

Annabeth rolled her eyes. "All right then. But I mean it, Percy, _only one hour_!"

He was already leading her back down the tower, no doubt to one of the many dark, deserted corners they'd discovered together. "We can get a lot done in an hour."

The glint of Percy's eyes made Annabeth's heart race. She'd never tell him, of course, but she had a feeling what they were about to get up to would be _much_ more enjoyable than studying alone in her common room.

* * *

 **a.n.** if you have requests/questions about this fic or about hp or pjo in general feel free to send me an ask on tumblr. i'm **bananannabeth** :)


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